Detroit Free Press on Auburn Hills

[Brian Cady]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060930/NEWS99/60930002

CONCERT CAPSULE: The Who remain gloriously defiant
BY DALE D. PARRY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The show: The Who at the Palace of Auburn Hills Friday night.
The tickets: $54.50-$99.50

The crowd: Refugees from America's teenage wasteland, most of whom now hold jobs as accountants, lawyers, middle managers and assistant principals. (See? This is what you get when you don't die before you get old.) Lots of dudes. Plus, seemingly everybody in metro Detroit who owns a T-shirt shirt with the Union Jack on it.

The vibe: Celebratory. Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry, back on tour in the states after 20 years? A new album ("Endless Wire") due in October after 24 years without a studio album? Who-ha!

The verdict:: This was a night of The Who proving themselves still worthy of our attention, which required faithful execution of their anthems, plus something new and interesting for fans to chew on. They did it on a flat, simple stage that kept the focus squarely on the music (and kept the crowd standing, whether to dance in the aisles or just to see the stage). With few pauses, Townsend and Daltry pounded through 25 tunes - including a 6-song mini-opera excerpt from "Endless Wire." Daltry's voice at times was pressed to its limits, reaching for notes that probably seemed like a good idea in 1965, but he was definitely more hit than miss. And Townsend, still somehow sounding anti-establishment, was fully wound up, windmilling and jump-kicking and defiantly proclaiming The Who's return to stage and studio. It effectively put to rest any question that the The Who still have something to say, and lots of miles left in them. (You can see for yourself by ordering a DVD of the Detroit show for $27.50 at www.themusic.com.)

Local flavor: In between tunes, Townsend reminded fans that The Who once set a world record for attendance here, when nearly 76,000 people packed into the Silverdome in 1975.

Mega-moment: As the band launched into the synthesized strains of "Baba ORiley" (the "teenage wasteland" song), five giant vertical screens behind the stage were flushed with "Matrix-style" cascading computer code and other cog-in-the-machine imagery that made for a perfect matchup of music and multimedia.

Guilty pleasure: During the opening tune ("I Can't Explain,") the video screens showed black-and-white photos and grainy footage of the band's early days - a little bit of time travel for everybody who knew the words to "Who Are You" even before "CSI."

The Who's Detroit Set List
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Fragments
Who Are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Good Looking Boy
Sound Round
Pick Up The Peace
Endless Wire
We Got a Hit
They Made My Dream Come True
Mirror Door
Baba ORiley
Eminence Front
A Man in a Purple Dress
Mike Post Theme
You Better You Bet
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again
Encore:
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
Listening To you
Tea and Theater 
 
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com